City of Hope Alters Policy on Patients
The City of Hope National Medical Center has waived a rule requiring that patients be referred to hospital cancer specialists by a physician. This means that people who suspect they might have cancer can go directly to the center for diagnosis and treatment.
Patients previously had to be referred to City of Hope by a physician, said Bonnie Rogers, associate director of communications for the medical center.
The focus of the self-referral program is on women who suspect they have breast cancer, Rogers said, because of the importance of early detection.
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